Low Fare Tips

Seven tips for finding the LFP (lowest fare possible)

It pays to plan ahead. The closer you are to your
traveling day the more you pay. Why? Because a while back some smart
guys and gals at an airline figured out that business travelers tend
to schedule meetings at the last minute and have the least
flexibility. So while the airlines stick it to the business folk, a
well-organized vacationer can take advantage. To find the best fares for you, search for
your trip on KAYAK and complete your booking 21 days or more in advance; for next best try for 14 or more. You
still here? What are you waiting for?

SMTWTFS? The flexibility to travel on another day can result in
dramatically lower fares. So next time you search on KAYAK, select the
flexible dates option. You'll probably find that flying Saturday is
cheaper (though not so much for international). Likewise, traveling
mid-week (Tuesday or Wednesday) is usually cheaper than Monday or
Thursday/Friday: consultants love to travel on Monday mornings and fly
back Thursday (of course, they still bill you for Friday but that's
another story).

All of life is timing. The key to getting the lowest fare
is to fly when others are not. The "dead times" will vary by route
(early morning and late night are good for leisure routes, mid-day is
usually best for business routes). Select the "Anytime" option and use
our filtering tools to focus your way to a cheaper fare.

Avoid peak travel seasons. See a theme here? Don't travel
when everyone else is. Go to Disneyland or Las Vegas after
Thanksgiving and before Christmas. Not only will the flights be
cheaper but the lines shorter, too. Or fly on Christmas day when
everyone is there already (and the flight attendants are extra
nice).

Thank you for choosing. When low cost carriers like JetBlue
or Easyjet simplified their pricing structure to offer lower prices
more often, it wasn't long before everyone was doing it. But not every
airline's price structure works in the same way. That's why we compare so many airlines across hundreds of travel sites to get you the best price. You could say we have a flair
for finding the cheapest fare (but maybe not for poetry).

Location, location, location. Speaking of low cost
carriers, many of them fly into alternative airports (like Burbank or
Long Beach instead of LAX or Stansted instead of London Heathrow) and
what they save in airport fees they pass onto you. You may also
appreciate the added benefit of less traffic, cheaper rental cars and
fewer people at the airport bars, too. Whenever you search with KAYAK,
we can automatically show you rates from nearby airports.